A strange but fascinating tale of trauma, obsession and the dangerous need for control, Forbidden Fruits mixes horror, dark comedy and psychological drama. The film is based on a stage play by Lily Houghton and directed by Meredith Alloway. It follows a group of women connected by secrecy, manipulation and a shared past that eventually tears them apart.
As the credits roll, most of the major characters have met tragic ends, leaving the viewer with one last question: Is Apple simply a victim of a troubled upbringing, or has she become the very monster she hates?## Control Sisterhood
The story revolves around the character of Apple, an enthusiastic employee at the Free Eden retail store, who secretly heads an ultra-conservative sisterhood, Paradise. Fig and Cherry are Apple’s closest followers, but Apple rules them with an iron fist, controlling almost every aspect of their lives.
They present a united front, but beneath the veneer of that carefully constructed image lies a dark secret that continues to haunt them. The arrival of a new recruit, Pumpkin, begins to unravel everything Apple has worked to build.
But Pumpkin has her own reasons for joining the store that the others don’t know about. She feels that Apple might be linked to a tragedy in her family’s past and wants to find the truth.# Apple came searching for Pumpkin
Eventually Pumpkin learns that Apple is her half sister. Rather than reveal herself right away, she decides to get close to Apple and learn more about her.
But as Pumpkin uncovers more about Apple’s past, she starts to wonder if Apple was responsible for their father’s death. Her investigation causes friction with the group, revealing cracks in the seemingly perfect bond the women share.
The more Pumpkin learns the more dangerous the situation is.# Did Apple Kill Her Father?
One of the biggest revelations of the film occurs in the final showdown between Apple and Pumpkin.
Apple finally admits that she killed their dad.
“Her father left Apple and her mother to begin a new life with Pumpkin’s family,” she said. Apple’s family struggled to survive. She watched him bring comfort and stability to another family.
Apple was full of years of emotional pain and resentment and decided to seek revenge. She poisoned him with snake venom, thinking she was serving justice for her mother’s suffering.
For Apple, the murder was not simply an act of violence. It was the result of years of bitterness, rejection and unresolved trauma.# The Puzzle of Paradise
The group’s most guarded secret is a former member named Pickle.
Pickle fell in love with a fellow named Ashton, which Apple saw as a threat to the sisterhood. Paranoia set in. Apple convinced the group to perform a ritual to eliminate anyone who could threaten their bond. The outside world would destroy Paradise.
Not long after Ashton fell into a mysterious coma, from eating poisoned food.
The connection is never fully explained, but the women think they are to blame. The guilt becomes too much for Pickle, who ultimately kills herself in the mall.
Cherry and Fig are haunted by the tragedy but Apple refuses to talk about it and insists the group move on. Her denial of reality only adds to the emotional injury of her followers.## What about Fig & Cherry?
Guilt and fear grow, and Fig knows she wants to get out of Paradise and build a life somewhere other than Apple.
Chaos erupts before she can fully escape.
Cherry accidentally stabs Norman, Fig’s boyfriend, with a meat cleaver during an argument. As panic spreads through the mall and a tornado warning forces everyone indoors, the situation spirals totally out of control.
Debris crashes down around her and Cherry gets caught on an escalator. Apple tries to help, but can’t save her after all. Whether it was really an accident or a moment of reflection is open to debate.
Fig is convinced Apple let Cherry die on purpose and tries to get away. A few moments later she is killed by a falling shard of glass in one of the film’s most shocking scenes.
In a short time most of the members of paradise are lost.# Does Apple Kill Pumpkin?
Pumpkin, having seen the horrible deaths all around her, finally confronts Apple about what happened before.
And the conversation becomes emotional very quickly. Apple explains that her father destroyed her family, and everything she did was out of pain and betrayal. But Pumpkin doesn’t believe that story.
Pumpkin remembered their father as a loving parent, unlike Apple, and felt that Apple was responsible for her own destructive choices.
The confrontation drives Apple to the edge.
Feeling rejected by the one person she thought would understand her suffering, Apple lashes out, strangling Pumpkin. Pumpkin is dead in the fountain when the attack ends, Apple’s last victim. ## The Importance of the Ending
The last scene of the film is set in a new shopping mall in Arizona.
Apple, bleeding but seemingly unfazed, casually orders a pumpkin spice latte before spotting three young women who look a lot like her old followers. Their bracelets match, and they appear to want to build their own tight-knit circle.
They welcome her into their circle with open arms when they see Apple’s fruit-themed bracelet, and even offer her a job at a newly opening Free Eden location.
The moment is profoundly disturbing because it suggests that Apple has learned nothing from the destruction she wrought. She doesn’t seem to want to face what she’s done, she seems ready to start again and create another Paradise.
The cycle is about to begin again.# Apple: Villain or Victim?
What makes Forbidden Fruits brilliant is that it doesn’t offer an easy answer.
Apple is obviously a victim of emotional neglect and abandonment. The early experiences shaped her perspective and the desperate need to find her place. The sisterhood she creates is the family she never had.
But the film makes it clear that trauma is no excuse for abuse.
Apple employs her followers and severs them from healthy relationships and uses fear as a tool of control. She’s always trying to justify toxic behavior as ‘protection’ when she’s ruining the lives of the people closest to her.
By the end of the story, Apple has crossed the line from wounded survivor to dangerous abuser. Her tragic backstory explains her behavior, but it doesn’t excuse it.
The ending confirms that she is still caught in the same destructive cycle, making her one of the most tragic characters in the film and its greatest threat.